A Broken Life
by potterchick338
Summary: Set in ancient times. Clarissa is the daughter of Lucian, king of a great empire. But what happens when the kingdom is conquered and Clarissa is enslaved by the new ruler and his cruel son. Will she give up, or will another slave be able to save her?
1. Chapter 1

**I know I'm already in the middle of a story (Eve of the End), but I just couldn't help myself! I don't know why all my stories involve Jonathon. Maybe it's because he's one of my fav characters... :) It may seem weird, but I always like the evil characters the best. They can do whatever the hell they want since people already hate them anyways. I know this chapter is super short, but it's more of an introductory chapter. The other chapters will be longer.**

**Disclaimer time. All the characters belong to the lovely Cassandra Clare. **

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><p><em>CPOV:<em>

Clarissa sat in her chambers. No matter how hard she tried to drown out the sound, she could still hear the sounds of the war. No, not a war. That was the wrong term. Massacre. That much better described what was going on around the girl. The armies had marched through the land, destroying city after city and now they had come for the capitol. Clarissa wished that she could do something, anything to help. But she couldn't. So here she sat, her fingers gliding gracefully across the keys. When the doors to the palace slammed open, Clarissa stopped playing. _We are all going to die. _She thought. _And there is nothing anybody can do about it. _ She rose and went to stand by her father for the last time.

_JPOV:_

Jonathon looked around and shook his head in disappointment. It had been almost too easy. He thought that since this was the capitol city, there would have been better protection. Now the burning city was ravaged. Torn apart by his army. As they made their way up to the castle Jonathon heard someone playing the piano. It was haunting yet the most beautiful thing he had ever heard. "Remind me not to kill whoever is playing, Father loves listening to the piano."

Jonathon and his men quickly dispatched the soldiers guarding the entrance. Jonathon kicked the doors open and was almost sad when the music cut off. He was surprised that there were no guards in the great hall. The only other person there was the king, sitting on his throne on the opposite side of the room. Jonathon marched up towards the throne and his army followed. They stopped a few meters away from Lucian. Before Jonathon could speak, another voice was heard.

"Father!" The plea rang through the hall.

Jonathon saw a girl sprinting towards them. Her long red curls bounced as she ran and there was a fierceness in her emerald eyes that most women lacked. She stopped next to the throne, panting from exertion, and bent down.

"Father." She said, kissing the ring on his left hand. Then the girl stood back up and turned to look right at Jonathon.

_CPOV:_

Clarissa stared at the commander of the massive army. So this was Jonathon, son of the "great" Valentine. Clarissa had to admit he was beautiful. His hair was so pale that it was almost white and he had black, soulless eyes. Jonathon was heavily muscled and his face was made of sharp planes. A cruel smile was playing on his lips.

"Is there no hope then?" She asked her father with a dead voice.

Lucian looked at her. "My dearest Clarissa, there is always hope. Maybe not for us, but hope is always there. Now, please go back-"

"Girl." Jonathon interrupted. Clarissa glared at him and raised her head in acknowledgement. "Was it you who was playing the piano?"

She simply nodded, not wanting to speak to this monster.

"You will come back with me and play for my father."

Clarissa ground her teeth together. "I would rather die." She spat.

Jonathon smirked and turned his gaze to Lucian. "You said that there is always hope. However, there won't be if the girl remains here. She would die alongside her people. If she came and performed for my father, she would live in a palace. Make her come to her senses."

The king narrowed his eyes. "Over my dead body."

Jonathon's smirk grew. "That can be arranged."

Clarissa's eyes widened. "Daughter," Lucian spoke. "Go, now."

She shook her head. "I will not leave you."

"Clarissa, as of right now, I am still king. And I am commanding you to leave."

Clarissa stood for another moment and then rushed back towards where she came from.

_JPOV:_

Jonathon watched the girl exit, not worried in the least. He was confident that he would find her. He addressed his men. "I'll find the girl. You take care of the rest. Leave no survivors."

Jonathon strode over to Lucian who was now standing and drove his sword into the king's abdomen. "I will enjoy shattering her innocence." He whispered while pulling the blade back and let the fallen king slide to the ground. Then Jonathon went after the girl.

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><p><strong>I think that was a pretty good chapter, even if it wasn't that long. I'd like to know what you guys think, so please review!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Dang. I feel like total crap. I am sooooooo sorry for not updating in such a long time. It's just really hard for to find time to write cuz I have to balance homework, extracurricular activities, and a job. I basically have no life. But enough making excuses and on to the story. Wow. I did not think I was gonna get as much feedback as I did, especially for such a short chapter. It makes me really happy! You guys rock. Seriously. If I owned Jace (which I don't) then I would clones of him and give them to everyone who reviewed. Or any character that you want. But the point I'm trying to make is that I don't own any of the characters, so...yeah...**

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><p><em>CPOV:<em>

Clarissa dashed back through the palace hallways, pushing through the masses of frantic guards and servants. She knew it was cowardly of her to have left. But Clarissa didn't have time to think about that. She needed to find her mother and then get to a safe location. She did not have to look for long. Her mother crashed right into Clarissa, nearly knocking her to the ground.

"Clarissa, oh thank goodness. You need to go. Now. You must find somewhere to hide." Jocelyn shoved her towards a door and turned to leave, but Clarissa grabbed her wrist.

"Mother, come with me." She pleaded.

Jocelyn just shot her a pitying look. "I cannot. I must go and defend Lucian."

"But mother-"

"No." Jocelyn cut her off. "I will not abandon him. But you need to leave. Please do this for me."

Clarissa wanted to cry. First she left her father, and now her mother. What if she never saw Jocelyn again? _Be strong. _She thought. She pulled Jocelyn in for a tight hug and then ran, looking for the best place to take cover from the massive army.

Clarissa ran into the spacious storage area. Forgotten items and bags of food were everywhere. Clarissa noticed a small dagger on the floor by a bunch of broken shields and she ran over to retrieve it. Then she ducked behind a large wooden crate and prayed that nobody would find her. After what felt like no time at all, Clarissa heard footsteps shuffling around the room.

"Oh princess! There is no need to hide. My soldiers have checked the entire palace and I know you're in here. Why don't you come out so we can talk?"

The sound made Clarissa's blood run cold. There was nowhere she could run to and all she had to defend herself was a small dagger. Clarissa waited until Jonathon walked right past the crate and then she lunged. Jonathon was faster though. He quickly sidestepped the attack and Clarissa went stumbling forward. She whirled around so as not to have her back to the enemy.

Jonathon chuckled. "Do you really think you can defeat me with that little blade? Just give up now before you hurt yourself."

Clarissa shrieked and ran forward again. This time she was able open a shallow cut along Jonathon's arm. He looked down at his arm and shook his head. "You are just like your mother. I think my men are still trying to fight her off."

Clarissa froze. She couldn't let anything happen to Jocelyn. "My mother." This might be the worst mistake ever, but she had to try something. "Will you let her live if I agree to go with you?"

Jonathon grinned. "Finally you make a sensible decision. If you come without a fight, then I will spare your mother. But we must hurry; she may already be dead."

Clarissa sprinted off down the corridor with Jonathon at her side. She felt extremely vulnerable next to him, but the dagger in her hand made her felt somewhat safer. Clarissa could not forget what she was doing this for. Her mother; Clarissa would protect her mother at all costs.

When they made it to the grand hall, Jocelyn was fighting off several soldiers with a broadsword. Clarissa grabbed at Jonathon and looked into his soulless eyes. "Please." She whispered.

At first, it looked like Jonathon was not going to do anything but then he called out. "Men, stop. Lower your weapons."

The soldiers followed the orders. Jocelyn looked first at Jonathon, and then her gaze fell on Clarissa. "What have you done?" She asked her daughter, horrified.

"I had to mother. It was the only way to ensure your safety."

Jonathon turned to Clarissa, amusement and something else she could not read was evident in his expression. "As you can see, your mother dearest is fine. You no longer need that blade."

Clarissa handed him the dagger. After sliding it into his belt, Jonathon grabbed Clarissa's arms and forced them behind her into an uncomfortable, almost painful position. Jonathon quickly bound her. "I have a question." Jonathon suddenly said to the waiting army. "What was it that I said to you earlier?"

It was silent for a moment before one of the soldiers spoke up. "You said that except for the girl, we would leave no survivors."

"Correct." Jonathon was smirking now. "And what kind of leader would I be if I went back on my word."

"NO!" Clarissa struggled, but Jonathon's grip on her was too strong.

"Come along my dear. There's no need for you to witness this." Jonathon dragged Clarissa out onto the porch and he began to climb down the massive staircase.

Halfway down there was a loud, bloodcurdling scream. It was the type of noise that you never forgot. One that would haunt you forever. Clarissa collapsed, but Jonathon caught her before she could hit the ground. He pulled the girl upright and held her tight in his arms. "Shh." He crooned stroking Clarissa's fiery hair. She was sobbing into Jonathon's chest. She wanted so desperately to move, but he arms were like rope, binding her to him.

Clarissa had no idea how long they stood there like that. It could have been a few moments or a few hours. All she did know was that her entire family had perished and she was pressed up against the person who was to blame for their deaths. Although, Clarissa was somewhat grateful that Jonathon was holding on to her. If he let go, she would surely crumple to the ground.

After what seemed like an eternity, Jonathon pulled back. "We must leave. The journey to your new home is a long one, and I need to arrive there as soon as possible."

A rope tied Clarissa to Jonathon's horse and she was forced to walk behind him. All the while, the soldiers who were also walking were antagonizing her. They said cruel things, hitting her when she talked back, and yanked her hair.

When they finally stopped to set up camp for the night, Clarissa's lip had split and she had the feeling that there would be many bruises scattered on her fair skin.

Jonathon pulled Clarissa forward and waited until she looked at him. "Listen girl. Back there, you were a princess. You could do whatever the hell you wanted. That is no longer the case. You are now a slave in the King's household and you will behave as such." There was no trace of pity or remorse in Jonathon's eyes. Only glee from causing others misery.

Clarissa glared at him and spit. Jonathon did not take that too well. He backhanded her. Hard. Clarissa's lip began to bleed again and her vision went black for a moment. Jonathon yanked her chin up so that he could look her in the eye. "I would work on bettering your self-control if I were you slave. Compared to my father, I am a saint." Jonathon growled. He pushed her away. "I'm going to my tent. Watch the girl carefully, she has a bit of a temper. Oh, and do not do anything to compromise her. I want her to be pure when I present her to my father." Jonathon turned on his heel and disappeared.

Clarissa looked at guards surrounding her and shuddered. If it weren't for Jonathon's proclamation, who knew what the monsters would have done. As it were, one of the scarier of the men walked forward and grabbed Clarissa by the hair. "If you try to run, I will slit your throat." He pulled her along after him and shoved Clarissa into a tent to watch her until daybreak.

The next several days occurred in much the same way as the first. Clarissa was tugged along by Jonathon's horse while the army teased her. However, Jonathon did not allow any of the warriors to lay a hand on Clarissa, his reason being that he did not want her to be bruised and bloodied when his father saw her.

When they finally made it to the capitol of the conquering empire, Clarissa was exhausted from all the walking that she had to do. Jonathon and his militia marched through the city and up to the palace. Clarissa could not help staring. It was much more large and lavish then her palace had ever been.

Jonathon strode right through the front entrance and into the main gathering hall. Dozens of people sat at tables and at the very front table, sitting on his throne, was Valentine. The similarity in appearance between father and son was remarkable.

"Jonathon." Valentine called and smiled. "It is so nice that you have returned my son."

Jonathon knelt done before his father. "And I have not returned empty handed father. I present to you Clarissa Fairchild. She was the daughter of Lucian."

Clarissa stepped forward. She had a strong urge to spit in the king's face, but remembering what Jonathon said, she resisted. Clarissa knelt down alongside Jonathon and kissed Valentine's ring. "My Lord." Clarissa felt horrible as soon as she said those two little words. It was like she was betraying her father.

"I have brought her father, because she is an excellent pianist."

"We shall see." Valentine gestured towards a beautiful ivory piano. "You shall entertain us while we eat."

Clarissa simply nodded and walked over to the instrument and placed her fingers on the keys. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. And then Clarissa began to play. While her fingers moved across the keys, Clarissa forgot everything. She forgot where she was and what had happened; Clarissa was lost in the music.

After everyone had eaten, Valentine made a motion to Clarissa to tell her to stop playing and to come over. When she approached them, Valentine smiled. "That was truly beautiful. I am so glad the Jonathon found you."

"Thank you my Lord." Clarissa murmured. She had no idea how to act like a slave, but she remembered one of her servants saying that to Lucian.

Jonathon smirked. "You will accompany-"

"She will do no such thing son." Valentine cut in. Clarissa went from looking horrified to relieved. Jonathon scowled at her. "You have to leave again tomorrow morning, Jonathon. We discussed this. You must get your rest. Slave," Valentine turned his attention back to Clarissa. "take these dishes to the kitchen to be washed. You will be a normal palace servant."

Again, Clarissa said nothing, only nodded in understanding. She collected her dishes and made her way back to where other servants were heading.

Once Clarissa entered the kitchen, she saw two girls cleaning the plates at a washtub. The first girl was beautiful. With her long, coal black hair and perfect body shape, Clarissa was surprised she was a slave and not a courtier. The other girl was pretty, but not quite as breath taking as the first. She had shorter brown hair that fell in waves. Standing there, Clarissa could hear their conversation perfectly.

"I'm confused about something." The beautiful girl said.

The other one rolled her eyes. "And what would that be Izzy?" _What a strange name. Maybe it's short for something?_

"Well you know how the slave director always makes us trade duties?"

"Yes. And?"

"Well I just don't understand why I'm never given cooking duty."

The other girl burst into laughter. "What?" Izzy frowned.

"You're never given cooking duty because your food is so horrible that not even the dogs will eat it."

Izzy scowled. "It's not that bad." She shook her head, and then noticed Clarissa just standing there. "It looks like we have company." She giggled.

The other girl looked over. "You must be the new girl. My name is Maia and this is Isabelle." She gestured to Izzy. _So I was right about that being a nick name. _

"Hello. My name is Clarissa. It's nice to meet you both."

"Clarissa?" Isabelle pondered. "That's kind of long, don't you think? You should go by something shorter. Oh, I know! What about Clary? Unless of course you don't like it?"

"No, I love it!" Clarissa exclaimed. She felt welcomed when Isabelle thought of a nickname for her.

"So Clary," Maia started. "What type of slave were you before?"

Clary opened her mouth to respond but before she could, she heard a voice that made her cringe. "Girl." Clarissa turned slowly to see Jonathon stalking toward her. He whipped a dagger out, the very same one she used against him, and pushed Clary up against the wall. When Clary put her arms out to protect herself, Jonathon sliced a deep gash along her forearm. Clary gasped in pain. "My father might not allow me to see you tonight, but when I return again, you will be mine." Jonathon hissed before storming off.

Maia rushed over to Clarissa and inspected her wound. "That's pretty deep. We need to go bandage it."

As they made their way to Isabelle's home, a small hut surrounded by all the other slaves' homes right behind the palace, Clary explained everything to them.

When they walked into the small home, there were already three men in there. The first had to be Isabelle's brother. They looked exactly the same except for the startling distance in eye color. The second one was just a boy. Clarissa was surprised that he was even old enough to work. The third man made Clary draw in a breath. He had blonde hair and his eyes were the exact shade of gold. He was the most handsome person she had ever seen.

"What have we got here?" The boy that looked like Isabelle asked.

"Alec, this is Clarissa. Clary, these are my brothers Alec, Max, and Jace."

Jace barely even looked at her. He just sat there, inspecting his shirt.

Max looked at Clarissa's arm. "What happened to her?"

"Jonathon." Was Izzy's only response.

Jace growled. "That bastard needs to be taught some manners." He disappeared into the next room and came back with a basket full of bandages. "Alec," he instructed. "Bring me a damp cloth."

Jace carefully took hold of Clary's arm. She was shocked by how warm he was. When Alec came back a moment later, Jace used the towel to clean the cut. Then he began to wrap her arm in bandages. Clary did not want Jace to let go of her, but he did. He stood and walked away without another word. Clarissa had felt safer in Jace's arms than she had in a long time. The thought scared her.

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><p><strong>So did you like it? Hate it? I really want to know so please review! It would make my day! So I'm gonna try and start updating this story every other weekend? Is that cool with ya'll? On the weekend that I don't post this story, I'll be updating my other story. If you guys haven't read it, it's called Eve of the End and I think it's a pretty good story. It has a lot of Clace fluff. Review!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the reviews! I love ya'll sooooo much! So I feel the need to explain the story name. All my other stories are the titles of songs, and while this one isn't, it's actually used in a song. In the song Lights Out by Breaking Benjamin, they repeat the line "and now your life is broken" a couple times. The song doesn't really have to do with this particular story, but listen to it and tell me whether or not you can picture Jonathon singing it! Anyways I own nothing except this plot so here's the next chapter!**

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><p>After Jace wrapped the bandages around Clary's arm, he got up and quickly went into the only other room in the small house, not looking back once. Clary watched him leave and her heart sank. She wanted Jace to stay, to hold her in his arms and whisper in her ear that everything would be okay. She had just met the boy and already she had an ache in her chest, one that would only be soothed if he was with her. Clary knew nothing about Jace and she felt safer with him then she had in her entire life. She felt that if Jace was with her, then nothing bad could happen.<p>

Clary shook her head, trying to get _him _out of her mind. But she couldn't. With his tan skin, blonde hair, and gold eyes, Jace was hard to forget. He had full lips and long eyelashes that girls would kill for and guys wouldn't even notice. Clary knew it was wrong for her to feel this way about a person she only knew for five minutes, but she didn't care. She had noticed Jace, and Clary so desperately wanted him to notice her as well.

"Clary?" Isabelle waved her hand in front of Clary's face and she realized that this was not the first time her name had been called.

Clary closed her eyes for a moment before opening them to see Izzy's concerned expression. "I'm sorry. I guess I was a little lost in thought." Clary blushed slightly, embarrassed that she was so focused on Jace that she had no idea what was going on around her. "What were you saying?"

"I asked what it was like being a princess." Izzy hesitated. "But if you are too tired than I can wait until morning?"

"No, I'm not tired." But as Clary said it, she knew it was a lie. She was exhausted, since she was not able to really sleep since before she was kidnapped. However, she did not want to disappoint her new friends who were looking at her so expectantly. Clary slid backwards so that she was still sitting on the ground, but her back was leaning against the bottom of the bench that the boys were sitting on. Max scrambled off of it and snuggled himself into Clary's lap.

"Max." Isabelle scolded.

"I don't mind." Clary said. She liked the fact that Max had to decided to sit on her lap. Clary had always hated being an only child, and she had wanted a younger sibling more than anything. Although Max was not actually related to her, Clary felt that him sitting on her lap was a natural thing.

Clary began to run her fingers through Max's hair and launched into her story. She told them what it was like to grow up in a palace where people catered to your every need. About all the amazing balls she went and the beautiful dresses she owned. Clary noticed how dark it was outside and stopped speaking. She looked down at Max and saw that he was struggling to stay awake. "I think I've told you everything. We should probably get some sleep now."

Alec, who had been leaning forward, entranced by Clary's story, shook his head like he was trying to come back to the real world. Maia and Izzy also looked a little dazed and it took a few moments for everyone to react.

Isabelle sighed. "I wish I could be a princess. It sounds like so much fun." She chuckled when she looked at Max. "Come on little guy, let's get you tucked in."

Max raised up his arms and Isabelle scooped him up and took him into the room that Jace had disappeared to. Maia stood up and smiled at Clary and Alec. "I guess I'll be leaving now. See you tomorrow." She walked out into the night, leaving Clary with Alec.

Clary felt awkward. She had nowhere to stay, and although she was now friends with the Lightwoods, she didn't want to intrude on them. Especially since there was already four of them living in a house that was smaller than Clary's bedroom back at her palace.

Alec spoke to Clary. "You are welcome to stay here Clary. We don't have enough beds though, but I'll gladly give you mine."

"Definitely not. I already feel like I'm intruding on you, so the couch will be fine. I'd greatly appreciate some blankets though."

"Of course. You are Izzy's friend and I can tell Max really likes you. That practically make you family." Alec grinned. "Let me go get you some blankets. I'll be right back."

Isabelle came back out of the other room just as Alec was entering it. "Be quiet." She warned him. "Both Jace and Max are asleep." Alec nodded and crept into the room.

Izzy walked over and plopped down next to Clary. "I'm really glad I met you Clary. I think you'll be good for all of us."

Clary smiled and felt a blush creep up. "Thanks."

"I mean it. Alec does not really interact with others, so him talking to you is a big deal. And Max thinks you're great. He is too young to understand everything that is going on around him and he needs a distraction, and I think you gave him just that. Plus I have feeling that you and I are going to be really good friends."

Clary smiled wider this time. "I'm glad." Clary was silent for minute and then she looked up at Isabelle. "What about Jace?" She whispered.

Izzy sighed. "Jace is different. I love him a lot, but he can be distant. If you have not already guessed, Jace is not my actual brother. We took him in when was about Max's age. He does not really get close to people. Alec is his best friend and yet he knows nothing about Jace's past. Nobody does. So don't take his ignoring you personally, he does that to everyone."

Clary felt a little better about the whole situation, but she was still worried. Why was she so drawn to this boy? Before Clary could ask any more questions, Alec came back with several blankets. He set up Clary's 'bed' then he and Izzy wished her goodnight before joining Max and Jace in the other room.

Clary lied down on the couch. Normally, she would not have been able to get comfortable, but after sleeping on the ground for a while, it felt as if it was the softest thing ever. Clary could not even close her eyes without seeing an image of Jace. So instead, she looked up at the ceiling, not able to even see anything because it was too dark.

She thought about what tomorrow would bring. It would be her first real day as a slave and Clary was scared. She had no idea how to be a slave. She didn't know how to do anything considering that she used to have servants for everything. But now she was the servant. Hopefully Izzy and Maia would help her. They would teach her how to wash clothes, and the proper way to clean the palace, and cook. Well maybe Izzy wouldn't actually help with the last one.

Clary wondered what Jace did every day. Did he go work out in the fields? Or maybe he raised the animals? Clary would ask tomorrow. She would also ask him exactly why he was so quiet and distant. Clary frowned. She had no right to ask him those questions. Especially the second one. According to Izzy, Jace did not go around telling people everything about himself, so why would he tell a complete stranger? No, Clary just needed to stay away from him. But even the thought of doing that made Clary's body hurt. She was shocked to realize that it would be physically painful to not be around Jace. She groaned and rolled over. She had to at least try to give him space. Clary fell asleep trying to think of ways to be around Jace without having to actually interact with him. She kept coming up blank.

That night Clary dreamt of Jace. He was holding her in his arms and was kissing her passionately. His lips were soft yet demanding against hers and wherever his arms were touching her, she felt warmth. Clary felt something soft and velvety rub up against her shoulder and she opened her eyes to see that large white wings had wrapped themselves around herself and Jace. She looked up at him to see him staring back at her. "Jace." She whispered.

Clary woke with a start. She sat up and looked around. It was barely light out, but Alec was already completely ready for the day. "Sorry to wake you, although you needed to get up soon anyways." Clary heard movement in the other room and she slowly got up. "Go into the bedroom. I think Izzy has some of her old clothes that you can wear."

Clary nodded and walked over to the door. She pushed it open and saw that Max and Izzy were almost completely ready. She was about to say something, but her voice caught in her throat when Jace came out of the tiny bathroom. He was only wearing pants so that his chest was plainly visible. Clary's eyes ran over his muscles, his perfect chest, until she caught Jace scowling at her. She blushed as he quickly threw on a shirt.

"Looks like sleeping beauty's finally awake." Jace commented in a rude tone that made Clary blush even harder.

Isabelle glanced over and tossed Clary a servant's dress. "That used to be mine. Now go into the bathroom and change. Oh and it might be a little long, but I can always hem it later."

Clary walked over to the bathroom and stripped out of her dress. It was the same one she was wearing when she was first kidnapped, so she was glad to be rid of it. Clary slipped on the dress and saw that Izzy was right. The dress was ridiculously long and Clary hoped that she would not trip over it throughout the day. It felt strange wearing a dress that did not include a corset, but Clary liked it in a way. At least she didn't have any trouble breathing.

When Clary walked back out, the boys were already gone. Clary tried to get over her disappointment. She had been hoping to see Jace, which was crazy, one more time before she headed up to the palace. Oh well, maybe it was for the best. Clary felt her heart ache and knew it was not true.

"Let's go." Izzy motioned for Clary to follow her and together they went to pick up Maia before heading up to the castle.

"Today's Wednesday, which means cleaning day." Maia explained to Clary. "It is our turn-"

"And a bunch of other people's turn." Izzy interjected.

"To clean the entire palace. It shouldn't be that hard since it is cleaned every day." Maia finished.

"But us three have to clean Jonathon's room, and since he was home last night, it's sure to be trashed." Isabelle looked disgusted at the thought of having to clean his room.

"He won't be in there will he?" Clary asked nervously. Her arm was still hurting where he had cut her and she was not really inclined to see him again.

"No," Izzy said thoughtfully and Clary felt relief wash through her. "Jonathon usually leaves before now."

They made a quick pit stop to get the cleaning supplies and then split up to get more cleaning done. They had agreed to meet at Jonathon's room in an hour to work on cleaning it.

It had been around 30 minutes and Clary had barely cleaned anything. She walked past a closed door, and thinking that another servant had already taken care of the room, was about to walk past when she heard music. Somebody was playing the piano and it was obvious that they were very skilled. Clary cracked the door open and saw that it was Jace. He was sitting with his back to her and she saw his hands fly across the keys. Clary had to really focus on not letting her jaw drop. Jace was a slave. Where had he learned to play the piano?

Clary stood there for a long time listening to Jace play. Right before he was going to get to the best part of the song, Clary dropped one of the dusters and mentally cursed herself for being so clumsy. Jace immediately stopped playing and whipped around to see who had interrupted him. There was a flash of relief on his face before he glared at her.

"Where did you learn to play like that?" Clary was truly curious about his talent.

Jace ignored her question and shoved away from the piano. "What are you doing here?"

"I came in here to clean." Lies. "But then I heard you playing and I could not bring myself to stop you. You were amazing." That was the truth. Jace was probably as skilled as Clary was and that was saying something.

Jace raised an eyebrow. "I should not be here." He strode out of the room. When he walked past Clary, his shoulder brushed hers. Clary jumped back. Where he had touched her, there had been a flash of heat. Holding on to her shoulder, Clary left the room as well and went to go track down Izzy and Maia.

It was evening and Clary collapsed onto the Lightwood's couch. Today had been awful. The way Jace had treated Clary was enough to drive her crazy, and having to clean Jonathon's room had been one of the worst experiences of the princess's life. She shuddered as she thought back on what she had to do.

Clary practically ran through the hallways until she found Maia and Izzy. "There you are!" Izzy exclaimed. "We haven't gone in yet because we were waiting for you."

Maia sighed. "Let's get this over with." She said, pushing the door open.

The good news was that Izzy was right. Jonathon was nowhere to be seen. The bad news was how horribly trashed the bedroom was. The sheets from the bed were knotted and the curtains had been knocked on the ground, allowing sunlight to flood into the room. Clothes were scattered along the floor and Clary was horrified to see that there were not just pants and shirts there, but quite a few dresses as well. The entire room looked covered in filth and Clary had no idea how it could look like that after Jonathon being home for only one night.

It had taken hours to scrub down the entire room and Clary's back ached from leaning over so much. She slouched back against the couch. Clary let out a deep breath when she thought about the fact that until she came here, she had had perfect posture. But that was only one of the many perks of being a servant.

Max walked in carrying a bag and Alec and Jace followed him inside. Alec took one look at the sight in front of him and laughed. "Rough first day?"

"Yes." Clary watched as Jace walked right by her and into the bedroom. She sighed. "I don't know how you guys can handle this."

Alec smiled sympathetically. "You'll get used to it. But in the mean time, a cup of tea will make you feel better." While he started boiling the water, Max skipped over and sat down next to Clary.

"Look what I've got Clary!" Max dumped the contents of the bag onto Clary's lap. It turned out that Max had several loaves of bread, three large squares of cheese, and a shiny, red apple. "Doesn't it look delicious? Jace stole them!"

Clary snapped her head up to look at Max. "I'm sorry. Did you just say that Jace _stole _all of this?"

"Max!" Alec groaned handing Clary a cup of very hot tea. "You weren't supposed to tell her. Clary might not be okay with it."

"Sorry Alec." Max mumbled before dashing into the bedroom.

Clary blew on the tea before taking a sip. "Why did Jace steal that?"

Alec sat down and put his head in his hands. "We don't get paid and the palace only gives us a small amount of food. Definitely not enough to feed all of us. We can't just starve. So Jace steals food every now and again. He's talented."

But Clary already knew that. Of course he's talented. He's Jace. Clary doubted anything was impossible for him. He could probably fly if he wanted to. Clary thought back to her dream and shook her head. It was a dream, nothing else.

At that moment, Izzy burst into the room. "Look who I've met!" She exclaimed, gesturing to the man standing next to her. "Don't worry, he's not staying with us, he's sharing houses with someone else." Isabelle said as an answer to Alec's panicked expression that another person might be living in the small house. "Time for introductions!"

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><p><strong>What'd ya think? I know it was sort of a filler chapter and I'm sorry nothing too exciting happened, but it had to be written. Everyone loves a mysterious ending right? Who do you think is with Izzy? Review or PM me who you think it is! If you guess right I'll PM you a sneak peek of next chapter! So go ahead and guess away my darlings! But only guess one person to be fair... <strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Yay! Next chapter! Congrats to everyone who guessed the right person! :)**

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I am not Cassandra Clare so I own nothing**

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><p>Clary studied the man. He was obviously wealthy with his vibrantly colored clothes and walking cane that was completely studded in precious gems. The man's hair stuck up around his head, almost like a crown, and he had very intriguing yellow-green eyes and a wicked smile. The slight tilt of the man's eyes hinted at eastern origins.<p>

"This is Magnus Bane. He traveled here all the way from Asia!" Isabelle explained, confirming Clary's suspicions. "The King had sent for him because apparently he can see the future! I met him when you guys left me at the market." Izzy scowled at Alec.

Magnus stepped forward. He glanced at Clary before his gaze fell on Alec. "It's a pleasure."

Alec looked at him skeptically. "He sees the future?"

Izzy bobbed her head up and down. "Yes! Isn't that exciting?" She walked up so she was standing next to Magnus again. "Magnus, this is my brother Alec and my friend Clarissa Fairchild."

Magnus smiled at Alec again and then turned to Clary. "Ah yes. The daughter of fair Jocelyn. The resemblance is quite stunning. I can't believe I didn't see it before."

Clary looked surprised. "You knew my mother?" Clary tried to think if she had met Magnus before, but she knew she had not. She would have remembered seeing a man like him before.

"Of course. We were extremely close. I miss her dearly." Magnus sighed and shook his head.

Max and Jace walked back out of the bedroom. "Who's this?" Max asked as he skipped over and took Clary's hand.

"Jace, Max, meet Magnus Bane. He was summoned by the King." Izzy said once again.

Jace glared at Magnus. "So he's one of Valentine's men?"

Magnus snorted. "Never! I would rather kill the man than work for him. However, I do not have the resources. Then there is the fact that he is my biggest payload."

"What does the King want him for?" Max asked.

"According to Izzy, he's a prophet." Alec said with doubt clear in his voice. Now it was Jace's turn to snort.

Magnus raised an eyebrow. "You don't believe me?"

"No. Not for one minute."

Magnus took a step towards Jace. "I would be careful if I were you boy. I see many things, and because of that, I know many things. For example, I know that your defenses are crumbling. You will end up explaining things you would never talk about to people that you do not ever see yourself talking to."

Jace glared at Magnus and his hand twitched, making it look like he wanted to slap the man. "I want you out of my house. Now."

"Jace." Isabelle warned.

"No, it's okay. I was just leaving anyways." On his way to the door, he winked at Alec, causing the boy to blush. "I will see you all later." Jace went forward and slammed the front door closed.

The next morning, Clary woke up very early. Again, she dreamed of Jace, and she wondered if this was going to happen every night. Today was kitchen duty and Maia and Izzy taught Clary how to cook all different types of foods. Well, Izzy did more watching then teaching.

In the afternoon Hodge-the head of the servants- walked over to where Clary, Izzy, and Maia were preparing for dinner. "Clarissa." Hodge said curtly. "The King has requested your presence."

Clary exchanged an anxious glance with the other girls. "Okay." She said uncertainly. Hodge strode off, forcing Clary to run to catch up with him. Hodge led Clary to large, ornate double doors, and pushed them open without stopping to knock. He bowed to Valentine and then exited, leaving Clary standing in the middle of the study.

"Clarissa." Valentine smiled, but it did not reach his cold eyes. Clary felt herself shudder. Whatever the reason Valentine called her here, it was not a good one.

"Yes my Lord?" Clary stuttered.

Valentine smirked. "You truly do look just like your mother."

Clary sucked in her breath. This was the second time that someone she just met compared her to her mother. How many times was this going to happen? "You knew my mother?" Clary asked slowly. Maybe she didn't want to know what was going on. Maybe ignorance was bliss. She didn't have a chance to figure out what she wanted before Valentine made the decision for her.

"I knew your mother very well. She and I have a very long history." Valentine looked at her pointedly.

Clary was confused at first, but then she received a flash of intuition. "No." Clary felt tears prick at her eyes. There was no way that Jocelyn had had a relationship with this man. He was horrible. He was trying to hurt Clary, and he was doing a very good job.

Valentine sighed. "It's a shame Jonathon killed her. But I cannot change the past."

Clary's tears leaked over and she quickly wiped them away. She didn't want this monster to see how much his words affected her. She shook her head. "I don't believe you." Clary felt angry when she heard her voice break. She was supposed to be acting strong. But Clary wanted to do was run away. How could her mother do this? She didn't ever leave the palace, so how could she? But Clary had a feeling that Valentine was not lying.

Valentine just shook his head. "You must accept the truth Clarissa. Denying it will do you no good."

Clary spun on her heel and burst out of the room, sprinting down the hallway. Her tears blinded her, so Clary did not see anybody in front of her until she ran straight into them. "Watch where you're going!" The person complained and Clary's stomach dropped at the sound of the voice. She looked up at Jace and saw his glare soften when he saw her tear-streaked face. "What's wrong?" He asked her.

Clary tried to answer Jace, but all of the events over the past week came crashing down on her, and she fell to the ground and began to sob. Jace gently lifted Clary back up and walked her over to a nearby bench. He sat down next to Clary and reached up, wiping away the tears that were streaming down her cheeks. "I'm sorry Clary."

Clary stopped crying and looked up at Jace. "Why are you apologizing? None of this is your fault. You don't even know what happened." It was technically true. Although Jace had upset her with his rudeness, she had not been thinking about that when she was crying.

"You're right. I don't know what happened, but I do know that it really upset you. And me yelling at you just made it worse." Jace looked at Clary expectantly.

Clary searched his eyes. Could she tell Jace these things? She hadn't known him for long, and the entire time he was nothing but disrespectful to her. Nevertheless, she could not get her dreams out of her mind, and so knowing that it was probably a mistake she opened her mouth. "My mother. Valentine said that she-" Clary broke off. She couldn't finish. She saw pain and understanding flit across Jace's face.

"I know what you're going through Clary. And everything will be alright. Trust me."

"How do you know? How do you know everything will be okay?"

Instead of answering, Jace leaned forward and his forehead touched Clary's. She closed her eyes and breathed in his scent. He smelled of sunshine, apples, and something else Clary couldn't really describe. Slowly, so slowly, Jace lowered his mouth and brushed his lips against hers. Clary opened her eyes to see that his were open as well. Jace pulled back and cupped Clary's cheeks in his hands. His touch was so warm. Clary wanted more. She leaned forward to kiss him again, but Jace chuckled and put his index finger to her lip.

"Promise me something." He whispered

"Anything." Clary murmured against his finger.

Jace replaced his finger with his lips. The kiss was gentle and slow and perfect. The way Clary felt when she was with Jace was too great to describe. She was peaceful and relaxed but excited and joyous at the same time. Clary knew that there was no other person that she wanted to be with. Jace was who she was made for. And he was made for her. Jace let Clary forget about everything that had happened, everything that was happening. In this moment, with their lips touching, Clary forgot what she was crying about, forgot everything but him.

After what Clary felt was too short a time, Jace pulled his hands back and placed them in her hands. He leaned back, but he was still close enough that their noses were almost touching. "Clary." Jace looked at their interlocked fingers and started again. "I-I can't do this."

Clary felt a hollow pit beginning to form in her heart. What was he talking about? "Excuse me?" She whispered, too afraid to speak above a whisper.

Jace looked at her confused expression and sighed. He stood up and ran his hand through his hair. "Clary, this," Jace motioned between the two of them, "is wrong. We shouldn't be doing this. You said you would promise me anything. Swear to me that you'll stay away from me."

Clary stared up at Jace. She just had her first kiss with him. It was perfect and now he was saying that he never wanted see her again. "Why Jace?"

"Please Clary." Jace pleaded. "I need you to promise me."

Clary realized how pathetic she was. She threw herself at this boy and he did not even want her. Clary looked away. "Fine Jace. I swear."

"Thank you." Jace sounded relieved. He walked off before anything else could be said.

Clary's tears, which had stopped when Jace had been holding her, began to fall in earnest again. She sat there, the pain and sorrow overwhelming her.

Isabelle found her several hours later. "Clary?" She asked, rushing up to Clary who had curled up into a ball on the bench. "By the Angel, what happened?" Izzy saw the hurt and pain in Clary's expression and became immediately furious. "Who did this to you? Tell me so I can make sure they never do it again!"

Clary just shook her head. "No Izzy. It's nothing. Honestly."

Isabelle put her hands on her hips. "Jace? What did that bastard do to you?"

"Isabelle!" Clary gasped. "Don't call him such things!"

"I can call him whatever the hell I want to. Come on, let's get you home."

When Clary and Izzy walked into the house, Jace and Alec were sitting on the couch. Jace took in a deep breath and then got up to go into the bedroom.

"Oh no you don't." Izzy's voice was lethal, causing Jace to stop in mid-step. "Get back here right now Jace."

Jace walked over, but refused to look at either of them, keeping his gaze on his feet.

"Clary won't tell me anything, but I know you're involved. Clary's my friend and even if you are family, I will not allow you to do anything to hurt her. If anything like this happens again, I will kick you out, and no amount of begging from anybody will stop me."

"Isabelle, that isn't necessary." Clary murmured. Being here was a mistake. She was just causing stress and fights.

"Yes it is Clary. Jace thinks he can do whatever the hell he wants and he needs to realize that he can't. Remember, if I see even the smallest hint that you've hurt Clary, you're out."

Jace growled something incomprehensible and stormed out of the house.

Alec stood up and walked over to Clary. "I'm sorry about him Clary." He put a hand on her shoulder and smiled reassuringly. "Dinner's going to be good tonight. Chicken and dumplings. Why don't you go wash up?"

Clary nodded and made her way into the tiny washroom. She filled the tub with hot water and stripped down. As soon as she lowered herself into the water, Clary sighed. It had been too long since she'd had a soothing bath. She relaxed in the tub until the water began to cool. She stepped out and put on her dress. Clary stopped right before she opened the door to go back in the front room. Alec and Isabelle seemed to be having an argument.

"Izzy, Clary's a good person and I know you like her, but you can't just abandon Jace. We're his only family."

"We are Clary's only family too Alec, or did you forget that. And you're right. Clary is a good person. She didn't deserve what Jace did to her. Alec, you know that Jace is always in a bad mood and he always takes it out on the people around him. Always. He needs to learn that he can't just go around and hurt whoever he sees."

Not wanting to hear anymore, Clary walked into the room and Alec and Isabelle put on fake smiles.

"Dinner is almost ready Clary. Max is at the market with Maia. Why don't you and Izzy go down and get him?"

"That's a great idea!" Izzy said too enthusiastically. She looped her arm around Clary's. "Let's go get him. He loves chicken and dumplings."

Clary sighed, but went with her friend. She needed a distraction.

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><p><strong>Sooooo? This chapter was kinda angsty. But there was some Clace! Yay! Go ahead and review. Please and thanks! <strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**New chapter! **

**Disclaimer: I am not Cassandra Clare.**

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><p>It had been two weeks and Clary had finally gotten used to being a slave. She did the same thing day after day. Wake up before the sun rises and get ready. Do various activities throughout the palace. Go back home, eat dinner, and then fall into bed, exhausted. Do everything you possibly can to avoid Jace. Clary rarely ever saw him outside the house, and she never spoke to him. It was physically painful for Clary to keep her promise, but she did.<p>

Clary, Izzy, and Max were at the market. Alec was able to scrounge up a little money and they were going use the money to buy an actual meal. Supper usually consisted of a slice of bread with some butter on it and a cup of water.

"Clary, Max and I are going to look over at the stands over there. You keep looking for something good for us to buy." Izzy took Max's hand and started leading him away.

Clary simply nodded and began to wander around. She was looking at a tent that was displaying beautiful jewelry, making Clary miss her old life, when she heard a familiar voice. A voice she thought she would never hear again.

"Simon!" He spun around just in time for Clary to slam into him. She hugged him tightly and Simon squeezed her back. "I've missed you so much Simon!"

"As I've missed you. I thought I would never see you again Clarissa."

Clary started when he said her full name, but then she realized that she never had a nickname until Isabelle gave her one.

It was as if Izzy knew Clary had been thinking about her. She walked up and smiled at Simon curiously. "Who's this Clary?"

"Simon, this is my friend Isabelle and her younger brother Max. Izzy, this is Simon. He used to be servant back at my castle in Idris."

Izzy tilted her head in a confused gesture. "But he called you by your first name. Slaves never do that with their owners, even if you aren't princess anymore."

"He wasn't just my slave. Simon is my oldest and dearest friend. Never once has he addressed by something other than my name." Simon flashed Clary a smile. "So how did you escape?"

"Well," Simon started dramatically. Clary stifled a laugh. Of course Simon would try to make his story sound exciting. Simon launched into his epic tale of slipping past guards and fighting off bandits in the woods while he was traveling. He ended the story by saying that this was the first town he came to and he started working as a merchant.

When Simon had finished, Max stared at him. "That was amazing!"

"Just for that, I'm going to give you something. No charge." Simon handed Max a small wooden toy. Max jumped up down and started running around playing with it.

Isabelle smiled. "Thank you so much."

Simon just shrugged. "He's a boy. He should be able to act like one."

Isabelle gave him another breathtaking smile. "We better go now Clary. Alec and Jace are waiting."

Clary nodded. She gave Simon another quick hug and then walked back to the house.

When they arrived, Alec was sitting at the table and Jace was nowhere in sight. Alec saw the toy that Max was clutching and raised a brow. "Where did you get that?"

"Clary's friend gave it to me!" Max practically sang. He ran into the other room before Alec could say anything else.

"Clary? Could you do us a huge favor and watch Max? Alec is going to show me how to cook."

Clary snorted. "Good luck with that." She walked into the bedroom and saw that Max was sitting on the ground with a small box in his lap. "What are you doing?"

Max looked up. "I'm putting my new toy with my other one." Max pulled something out of the box and gave it to Clary.

Clary was surprised when she saw a beautifully crafted figurine in her hand. "Max, where did you get this?"

"Jace gave it to me."

"Did Jace steal this too?" Clary asked carefully. The little soldier was only about the width of two of Clary's fingers and the height of one. The toy was small but it was meticulously made. There were so many intricate details that Clary was sure that this was what the actual soldier looked like.

Max shook his head. "No. That has always been Jace's. One day he gave it to me. He said he was too old for it."

Clary's brows furrowed. Jace had owned this? It wasn't just some poorly crafted toy that people always sold at the market. It looked like something that a young prince would own. Once again, Clary could not figure Jace out. If he was a slave then why did he have this toy? And how did he know how to play the piano? Clary sighed. She was probably never going to find out.

When Clary and Max went back into the main room of the house, she was unsurprised to see Magnus talking to Alec and Isabelle. Over the past couple of weeks their friendship with Magnus had grown. Clary also noticed that Magnus spent a lot of time with Alec. She figured that they just had a lot in common. Magnus turned and waved at Clary and then went back to his conversation with Alec.

Izzy put everything on the table and frowned. "Dinner's ready. Where the hell is Jace?" Clary didn't even wince. At first she was appalled that someone, especially a girl, was cursing. Now she was used to it.

Magnus answered her. "I saw him on my way here. He said that he was not hungry and for me to tell you to go ahead and eat without him."

Clary's heart constricted at the mention of Jace. No matter how hard she tried, she could never stop thinking about him. Jace always went on walks by himself, so that was not a big concern. What worried Clary was the fact that he said he was not hungry. Jace was always hungry. Clary wondered what had happened that made him not even want to eat.

"His lose." Alec sighed. "Dinner is really good tonight."

"We should save him some." Clary started to blush when everyone just stared at her. "Just in case he changes his mind."

Isabelle laughed. "If he changes his mind, then there is plenty of bread and butter that Jace is welcome to have."

That night, Clary could not sleep. She kept tossing and turning. Eventually morning came and Clary had not fallen asleep once.

Inside the palace, Clary, Maia, and Isabelle split up to clean faster. So nobody was with Clary when someone came up from behind and grabbed her wrist. "Wait."

Clary turned around to see Jace. Instead of releasing Clary's wrist, he held on to it and walked forward so he was standing directly in front of her.

Clary was shocked to say the least. Jace had not spoken to her once since he made her promise to stay away from him. "Jace?" Her confusion was obvious.

"I need to talk to you." He said, pulling her into the nearest doorway. They happened to be in the room where Clary had watched Jace play the piano.

Jace sat Clary down on the piano bench and sat down beside her. He turned so that he was facing her. "Clary," Clary was barely able to contain her shiver as she heard his voice say her name. "I want to apologize for the way I've been treating you."

Clary searched his expression, looking for any hints that he was lying, but his apology seemed completely sincere. "It's okay Jace."

"No. It really isn't."

Jace looked down. His hand was still wrapped around Clary's wrist and she could feel heat radiating through her body from where they were touching. Jace slowly slid his hand down so that he could intertwine his fingers with hers. He massaged the back of Clary's hand with his thumb. When Jace looked back up at Clary, she could not read his expression.

"Alec and Isabelle took me in when I was ten. But before that my life was…" Jace sighed. "Let's just say that I had a horrible childhood."

Clary's eyes widened. Was he about to explain his past?

"I thought that if I buried my emotions deep enough that it would stop me from getting hurt. In reality, it just made the pain worse. No one knew I was hurting and so nobody offered me their comfort. I was completely alone."

Clary felt tears start to well up.

"I also thought that I would be weak if I showed my emotions to anybody. So I put on a mask. I pretended not to care about anybody, hoping that I could handle hurting them. And I could." Jace waited until Clary looked him in the eye. "Until you. Ever since the first time I've met you, I've felt something. I did not know what it was, and it scared me. I wanted to explain everything to you. What happened, why I am the I am, but I couldn't. I could not let one girl make me expose everything that I had worked so hard on keeping a secret. And so I was rude. But every time I hurt you, I hurt myself as well. And then when I saw you so upset and crying, all of my walls broke. As a last defense, I tried to never see you again. If I stayed away, maybe the emotions I felt whenever I was around you would go away."

Jace paused to wipe away the tears that were running down Clary's face. "Just the opposite happened. The emotions intensified because of the longing I had to be near you. It nearly killed me to ignore you. So I'm giving up."

Jace saw Clary's expression of pain, which she felt because she would never want to hurt Jace, and misread it. "If you do not feel the same way, it's okay. If you want me to stay away from you, just tell me."

Clary shook her head, horrified by Jace's last sentence. "Never." She told him in a strong voice. Then Clary made the first move by pressing her lips to Jace's.

Jace wrapped his hands around Clary and pulled her to him. Clary broke away first and laid her head on his shoulder. They stayed like this for a long time. When Jace pulled away, he turned back around to face the piano and started playing. Clary quickly recognized the song and put her fingers to the keys, playing the higher parts.

After the song ended, Jace touched his lips to Clary's for just a moment and then stood. "We should probably head back to the house."

Clary nodded and got to her feet, Jace taking her hand in his.

When they walked through the front door, Izzy's gaze went straight to their still interlocked fingers. Her eyebrows shot up. "Care to explain?"

Clary smiled at her. "Jace made things right."

Alec and Magnus walked in. Alec's reaction was similar to Isabelle's, but Magnus just grinned as if he had expected this. He probably had, considering that he could see the future. "It took you two love birds long enough." He laughed.

Clary blushed and looked down at her feet. Jace however, smirked and pulled Clary's face back up so that he could kiss her.

They were interrupted by Maia, who burst into the house. She bent down and put her hands on her knees, breathing in quick gasps.

She looked around at everyone before her eyes fell on Clary. They were full of pity and a little fear that made Clary extremely nervous. "Jonathon's…..back..." She managed to get out between breaths. "He sent….for you…..I came as quick….as quick as I could."

Everyone looked from Maia to Clary, who had broken out in a cold sweat. Jace squeezed Clary's hand. "It's okay. You don't have to go. And if you do, I'll go with you."

Maia shook her head. "Jonathon said that if she did not come then there would be extreme consequences. He also said that she must come alone."

Jace let out a wordless shriek of fury, causing everyone to take a step back in alarm.

"Jace, don't." Clary touched his face. "There's no need to worry." She hurried out of the house before anybody could stop her. She blocked Jace from her mind so that she would not back out. Clary had to do this or something bad would happen. But as she walked, Clary felt dread growing inside her and she knew something bad would happen anyways.

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><p><strong>Another cliffhanger... Oh well. You know you love me :) <strong>

**Pleaseee review and hopefully the next chapter will be up next weekend. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Don't kill me! I'm sorry I didn't update sooner! I got really behind and all that good jazz. BUT! I've been sick for the past two days so I've had nothing else to do. Yay! Update! **

**Disclaimer: The plot is the only thing I own from this story**

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><p>Striding up to the ornate double doors, Clary pushed them open and stalked into Jonathon's room without waiting to be invited in. She saw that Jonathon was leaning back in a chair. His white shirt was completely unbuttoned and Clary could see his muscled chest peeking out. Jonathon looked up and smirked when Clary entered the room.<p>

"I knew you were smart enough to come, but still, I was beginning to have doubts. What took you so long?"

"What do you want Jonathon?" Clary snapped out, completely ignoring his question. She tried not to let too much anger leak into her voice but he still heard it. His cold eyes hardened and Jonathon pushed away from the table, making the chair fall over.

"I am your master and your prince, slave. How dare you speak to me like that." The words were cruel and harsh.

Any fear that Clary felt was swallowed up by the fury that consumed her. "And I am a princess. How dare you speak to me like _that_."

Jonathon moved towards her. "I know about you and that slave-boy. One of my men saw you two in the music room earlier today." His tone was deadly.

Clary sucked in a breath. What was Jonathon going to do? Would he kill Jace, kill them both? Her knees started to buckle, but Clary made herself stay upright so she could hear what Jonathon was about to say.

"You had better learn your place girl. Or one day you'll go home only to find out that your love has been sentenced to death."

Clary let out a strangled cry and threw herself at Jonathon, shoving him backwards roughly. Jonathon encircled her wrists with one of his hands. The other he placed on the small of Clary's back and pulled her into him. "I've always liked the girls who put up a fight." He whispered into Clary's ear. Clary felt his nose skim down her neck and collarbone.

She started to shake. This was too much. She brought her heel down as hard as she could on Jonathon's foot. Although she doubted this actually hurt him, it surprised Jonathon enough that Clary was able to wriggle free and dash to his door. Jonathon narrowed his eyes.

"You're lucky that today I'm feeling lenient or I would have you killed for that. You had better make sure that it never happens again."

Clary did not answer. She stormed out of the castle and raced down the steep hill. She tripped and fell several times, but she would just hop back up and force herself to keep going. Instead of going back towards the servants' quarters, Clary ran until her legs gave out and she slid down to the ground at the base of a large tree. Clary didn't notice the sharp pain of the bark from the trunk scratching her back as she fell, exhausted, onto the dirty earth. Pulling her knees up to her chest, Clary put her head in her hands and began to cry.

Why did this have to happen to her? Clary knew she couldn't go back to the house. Not yet, anyways. Everyone would be wondering what happened and Clary had no idea what she would say. She couldn't tell Jace. Jace. He would end up doing something stupid, like try to attack Jonathon, and end up getting himself killed. Clary let out a sob. She couldn't let that happen. Although she barely knew him, Clary knew that she loved him. She could never allow something to happen to him. But she had to tell them something. She was interrupted from her thoughts by the loud sound of someone clearing their throat. Clary looked up to see Magnus Bane in all his glory.

Magnus was wearing incredibly tight pants that got skinnier as they went down his legs. The pants were tucked into knee-high black leather boots. The puffed up white collar of his shirt stuck out from underneath his long trench-coat. Every part of him sparkled in the bright sun, so Clary had to squint when she looked at him.

Magnus looked down at her. "May I join you?"

"I can't exactly do anything to stop you."

Magnus quirked a brow but sat down slowly. As he was sitting down, Magnus shut his eyes and his eyebrows furrowed together. "I'm too old for this baby girl." He said as he plopped down next to Clary.

Baby girl. Magnus had called her a pet name. Maybe they were closer than Clary thought they were. Clary put a finger to Magnus' arm. Some of the sparkly, rainbow-like material rubbed off onto Clary. "What is this?" Clary inquired.

Magnus flashed her a grin. "Glitter. Isn't it the best thing you've ever seen? I'm practically glowing."

Clary looked down. The fact that he was making jokes to try and cheer her up comforted Clary. "I'm guessing you saw what was going to happen?"

Magnus nodded. "Would you like to talk about it?"

Clary grimaced. Although she considered Magnus a friend, Clary didn't really feel like recounting what had happened. "I'd rather not. I must ask you though; did you tell Jace?"

Magnus let out a sound that was partially between a cough and a laugh. "Of course not. He would have killed me, and I am way too young to die."

"First you said that you're too old, and now you're saying that you're too young. That's a contradiction."

"Honey, life's a contradiction."

Another pet name. Clary wondered idly if Jace would ever call her something like that. Giving Magnus a weak smile, Clary went back to the main topic. "What do you think I should do?"

Magnus took his walking stick and started to twirl it around, causing the jewels to glow in the sunlight. Magnus looked at Clary thoughtfully and for the first time, Clary got a taste of the real Magnus. He wasn't someone who just wore ridiculous fashions and saw the future. He was a man, a very wise man, who could be trusted with the darkest of secrets and who could give the right advice no matter what the situation was.

Magnus wiped away one of the tears that was still on Clary's cheek, a gesture that was strictly friendly, and sighed. "I think that you should do whatever feels right."

Clary almost snorted. _That _was the wise advice that Magnus had come up with? He had to be joking. "I'm sorry, but I don't really see how that helps anything."

"Just because you don't see something right now, doesn't mean that it's not there. The future is very blurry, always changing. You can always change fate Clary, all you have to do is try." Magnus stood and looked back down at Clary. "There's no reason for you to worry Clarissa. Just take one day at a time and everything will work out." And with that, Magnus walked away, leaving Clary sitting in the dirt, wondering what she should do next.

Clary leaned against the tree and pondered Magnus' words. She chewed at her lower lip until blood swelled up and trickled down her chin. Clary sighed. It was just one more thing to add to the list of unpleasant events in her life. Clary used the back of her hand to wipe away the blood and looked down to see that it was now smeared with the red liquid.

Maybe there was no hope. Maybe Clary should just give up. Was there really anything in her life that was actually worth living for? _Jace. _A small part of her brain said. Clary shook her head, trying to get rid of the voice with little success. _You love Jace and Jace loves you. It would kill Jace if anything were to happen to you. _Clary scowled. She knew it was true. If Clary were to get hurt, it would be Jace who was wounded. And Clary wouldn't be able to, couldn't be able to, live with herself if she hurt him.

Clary looked at the sky. The sun was setting and large streaks of orange and purple shone through the clouds. It was a beautiful sunset. Clary used to watch them all the time. But that was before she was kidnapped. That was before her whole life was flipped upside down. This was the first time that Clary had seen the sun set since arriving at this hell-hole. The only spot of light, the only spark of hope in a world so full of despair was Jace. So turning her back on the breathtaking view, Clary left to go find the one she loved.

When Clary got back to the house, everyone was waiting for her. Max jumped up and slammed into Clary. He wrapped his too-thin arms around her waist. "We were so worried about you! We tried to get Magnus to tell us what happened, but he wouldn't say anything."

Clary shot a grateful glance his way and Magnus smiled. Jace saw their interaction and stood up. He put a warm hand on her shoulder. "What happened?"

Clary stared at the beauty in front of her. Even worried, Jace was gorgeous. He swept the golden hair out of his eyes in an impatient gesture and studied her, looking for any sign that something was wrong. Clary bit her lip and blood began to flow from it again. Jace frowned but said nothing. He was waiting for her to start. But could she tell him?

Clary looked away so she could lie better. "Nothing happened." And it was mostly true. Jonathon hadn't actually done anything to Clary. Although he wanted to. The thought made Clary shudder inwardly. Jonathon was a monster. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. Then she looked at Jace again. The skepticism was clear on his face.

"Nothing happened?" He asked slowly.

Clary just shook her head, afraid her voice would break if she spoke again.

"Well what did he say?" Isabelle asked curiously.

"Nothing. He said nothing." Again, that was mostly the truth. All Jonathon had done was threaten Clary. He never actually said what the point of Clary's visit was, but it was clear in his actions what he called her in for.

Alec looked at Magnus, who shrugged.

"If you guys are done, I would like to sleep now."

Clary was able to hold herself together until everyone had left. Once she was alone, curled up in bed, Clary's control snapped. Her breakdown was silent, so as not to wake the others in the bedroom, but it was unnerving. By the time morning came, the entire top half of Clary's bed was soaked by the tears that were shed and Clary's eyes were red and puffy.

_Be strong. Do not show that anything is wrong. _Clary splashed her face with cold water and stripped the couch of the linens. She was in the middle of washing the sheets when Isabelle walked in. "Do you need any help?"

"Nope. The blankets haven't been washed in a while so I thought I'd do it early so they have all day to dry. Thank you though." Clary hoped that the cheerfulness in her voice was convincing.

"Okay. Well I'm going over to Maia's. I'll see you later." Izzy gave a short wave and left the house. Clary let out a sigh of relief. Maybe this wouldn't be as hard as she thought it was going to be.

After Clary finished the laundry, she quickly got ready. She had decided that she would pay Magnus a visit. If anybody could help her sort things out, it was him. Absorbed in her thoughts, Clary didn't see the person waiting just outside the front door until she ran right into him.

Clary looked up in surprise. "Simon? What are you doing here?"

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><p><strong>So I kinda have a general plan that I'm gonna use for the story, but if you want anything specific to happen just let me know! Do you have any ideas for what you want to go down between Simon and Clary? Reviews are much appreciated! <strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm not even gonna try and come up with an excuse as to why I'm so late updating this time... Please forgive me? **

**Disclaimer: I am not Cassandra Clare. If I was I would have published Clockwork Prince forever ago. I can't wait for it to come out! **

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><p>Clary looked up at Simon expectantly. "Well, I wanted to see you because it's been way too long so I asked around and found out where you lived." Simon shrugged casually.<p>

Clary stifled a laugh. Simon was always so determined to be around her. "Well you found me. Please, come into my palace. And by 'my palace', I of course mean a tiny shack owned by the Lightwoods that I'm lucky enough to be able to stay in." This was why Clary loved being around Simon. He made everything carefree and happy. Clary could barely feel the now-constant pain in her chest.

Clary felt arms wrap around her waist and then Jace pulled her into him. He kissed the top of Clary's head and laughed into her hair. "Don't knock my house. It's a perfectly acceptable living space."

"Of course it is Jace." Clary angled her head so she could kiss Jace. Simon's smile faltered slightly but by the time that Clary looked back, he had pulled himself together. "Oh!" Clary started. "How rude of me! Jace, this is my best friend Simon. Simon this is my…uhm… this is Jace." Clary finished awkwardly. She hoped that Jace wouldn't be hurt by how she introduced him, but he seemed just fine.

"So this is your best friend?" Jace was appraising Simon carefully. "He sort of looks like a rat. Mind if I call him rat-boy?"

"Jace!" Clary pushed at him. "Don't talk about Simon like that!" Clary turned to her friend. "I'm so sorry Simon. Please, stay with us."

Simon scoffed. "I doubt that Jack-"

"Jace." The other boy cut in.

"Would like that. Besides, I was just leaving anyways." Simon turned on his heel but he had barely taken two steps when Isabelle ran up.

"Simon! What a lovely surprise!" Izzy gave him a breathless smile.

Jace opened his mouth, most likely to say something sarcastic, but he seemed to think better of it.

"Isabelle. I actually have to leave, but maybe next time we can talk." Simon walked away.

Isabelle looked curiously at his retreating figure. After a moment, she shrugged and skipped into the house. "Guess what!" She demanded of the couple.

After futile attempts of guessing what was so exciting, they finally begged Izzy to tell them what happened.

"Maia and I were walking around and we were approached by a royal guard. Apparently it's some sort of holiday and all the palace servants have the day off!" Izzy was so excited that she kept increasing the speed in which she spoke, so by the end of her little speech, Clary had to concentrate to hear what she was saying.

"That's great!" Clary looked over at Jace and was surprised to see that he was frowning. "What's wrong?"

"It's strange. Why is the king having a random holiday? And even if there is a good reason, why are the slaves not working? Normally they would have to work even more to prepare for the parties they have."

Izzy rolled her eyes. "Does it matter? The point is that we have a whole day for ourselves. We can do whatever we want!"

"Hmm. That gives me an idea. Isabelle, stay here with Clary. Let her borrow one of your dresses and do her hair all nice. I'll be back."

"I was going to go see Magnus." Clary complained.

Jace smirked. "Too bad. I'm highly more important than the psychic." Jace feigned being hurt when Clary snorted and started to make his way towards the door.

"Wait, where are you going?"

The smile that Jace gave Clary caused tingles to run down her spine. "You'll see."

As soon as Jace left, Izzy squealed and dragged Clary into the bedroom. "This is going to be so much fun!"

What Isabelle called fun, Clary thought of it as completely ordinary. It wasn't Clary's fault that she was used to having someone dressing her up every day. However, Clary had to admit that it was considerably more enjoyable due to the fact that she and Izzy were making jokes and laughing the whole time.

While Izzy was busying herself with Clary's hair, Clary had plenty of time with her thoughts. She wondered why she was able to distract herself so easily. Before, if Clary was ever upset, the only person who could make her forget, make her happy again, was Simon. But now Izzy was making Clary laugh, actually laugh, not just a fake one to make people think she was fine. It was Jace. That had to be it. He took a weight off Clary's heart that she hadn't even realized was there. Jace had unexpectedly entered into her life and was now acting like her own personal savior. If Jace was there, then there would always be hope. Just like what her father had said on that fateful day.

Izzy snapped her fingers in front of Clary's face. "Clary! Did you hear anything I just said?"

Clary lightly shook her head, pushing away all the dark thoughts into the far corners of her mind. There was no way that Clary was not going to allow anything to ruin whatever Jace was planning. "I'm sorry Isabelle. What were you saying?"

Isabelle let out a theatrical sigh. "I was saying that I think I have the perfect thing for you to wear." She got up and rummaged through her trunk. "Ah, here we go." Isabelle drew out a long champagne colored gown.

With assistance from Izzy, Clary had little trouble slipping on the dress. She looked at herself in the mirror and gasped. Her hair was pinned up on the top of her head but a few strands of perfect curls fell around her shoulders. The floor-length dress was completely covered in lace and a satin bow tied just below the low-cut back. "Isabelle." Clary whispered. She still hadn't recovered her full voice yet. "Where did you get this?"

"It was my mother's. She used to be a courtier, but she fell in love with my father, a servant. She gave up everything- her money, her status- out of love.

"I-I can't wear this."

"Yes you can. You look absolutely gorgeous." The front door opened and then shut. "That's Jace. I can't wait to see his expression."

Clary blushed and opened the bedroom door. She was looking down at the ground, but she looked up when she heard Jace's breath hitch. When her eyes met his, she saw that his contained a look of pure love and adoration. Jace strode across the room and cupped Clary's face in his hands. "You look amazing."

Clary smiled. "It's all thanks to Isabelle." Jace grinned at Izzy and she dropped him a wink.

Jace intertwined his fingers with Clary's and gently tugged her after him. "Come on. I want to show you something."

Jace led Clary away from the servant's quarters and the market, and eventually they had reached the outskirts of the giant city. He walked past the gates and into the woods that surrounded the capitol. "Jace? Where are we going?" Clary mentally slapped herself for sounding so worried.

Jace smirked. "Scared?" Clary snorted and rolled her eyes, but didn't admit to the fact that she was a little nervous. "Trust me." Jace took Clary's hand and led her deeper into the forest.

It turned out not to be just a walk, but a hike. The couple climbed over fallen branches and around sweeping vines. By the end, Clary's feet were aching and she was positive that she would have blisters the next day. But Clary forget everything when she saw everything around her. Jace had brought Clary to the top of a very high cliff. Far below, a lake with water the exact shade of the sky swelled along its banks. Jace sat down and let his legs dangle over the edge. He patted the ground next to him, and motioned for Clary to take a seat. She looked skeptical. "Is it dangerous?"

"Not at all. I won't let anything happen to you." With that in mind, Clary slowly lowered herself so that she was sitting next to Jace and that her legs were also hanging off the edge of the cliff.

"So what is this place?"

"I used to come here all the time as a boy. I could look out over the lake and just think. This was the one place where I ever felt truly happy. Nobody even knows it exists except for me, and now, you."

Clary's heart stopped at that. This was a special place for Jace, and he had never shown it to anyone before. He must really care about her. "It's beautiful." Clary whispered, half to herself.

Jace reached behind her, and Clary heard the low rustle of bushes. When Jace drew his hand back, it was full of fruit that Clary had never seen before. "What are they?"

"Blackberries. They're better when you eat them with milk and sugar, but we'll just have to eat them plain." When Clary didn't immediately take one, Jace smiled. "Come on, take one."

Slowly, hesitantly, Clary took a berry and placed it on her tongue. When she bit down, juice exploded out of the blackberry and a delicious tangy, yet still sweet, taste filled Clary's mouth. She grinned and took another from Jace's still outstretched hand and popped it into her mouth. Jace laughed and began to eat the blackberries as well.

Once they had finished their little snack, Clary thought of something. "Why did you make me get so dressed up? All we did was hike and eat some berries"

Jace stood up and held his hand out for Clary to take. "Dance with me, Clary."

"But there's no music."

He grinned. "I can fix that." Clary raised her eyebrows, but wordlessly took hold of Jace's hand. He pulled her up and put his hand gently but firmly on her waist. Clary placed hers on Jace's shoulder and then they were twirling. As they danced, Jace began to hum a melody into Clary's ear. She didn't recognize the tune, but it was beautiful. Clary rested her head on Jace's shoulder and sighed contentedly. This she could get used to.

The song gradually came to an end, and when Jace was done humming, he stopped dancing and looked into Clary's eyes. "My mother used to sing that to me every night before I fell asleep."

The corner of Clary's mouth quirked up in a smile and she stood on her tiptoes so that she could kiss him. His lips were sticky from the blackberries and Clary could taste the juice on her tongue as the kiss began to deepen.

Clary didn't know how long they stood there like that, but what she did know was that she never wanted it to end. Unfortunately though, Jace pulled back and looked at the sky. "It's sunset. We should probably leave so that we don't have to walk through the woods in the dark."

Clary sighed but nodded. He was right; the forest was dangerous at night. Who knew what kind of animals lurked in the dark shadows, ready to pounce. She took one last look at the sunset- orange and purple streaks shot across the sky and cut through the clouds- and grabbed Jace's hand.

By the time they arrived back at the house, night had fallen. As soon as Jace opened the door, Alec jumped up from his position on the couch and strode over to Jace. "Where have you been? It's extremely late out! Do you have any idea how worried I was about you?"

"Calm down Alec, I was just on a walk with Clary. There was nothing to worry about."

Isabelle walked into the main room from the bedroom and rolled her eyes. "You know how Alec gets. You two missed dinner. There's bread in the kitchen if you would like some." Clary who had eaten nothing but the blackberries all day nodded and tore herself off a large chunk of the bread. Jace also took a generous amount and stuffed it into his mouth.

Izzy made a disgusted face. "How gentlemanly Jace."

"Do I look like a gentleman?"

Izzy stuck her tongue out and walked back in to the bedroom. Alec followed her after saying quick goodnights to Jace and Clary.

Clary looked at Jace. "Jace? Will I ever find out about your past?" Now that they were alone again, maybe Jace would open up.

Jace paled and looked very uncomfortable. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that I find it strange that a servant can play the piano better than a majority of the people I know. And plus, that toy you gave to Max, it's very intricate. It's something that looks like it would belong to a young prince, and it must have cost a fortune. I'm confused. Please talk to me."

Jace sucked in a deep breath. "I want to tell you Clary, but I can't. Not yet. You wouldn't understand."

For some reason, this really annoyed Clary. "Jace, give me some credit. I'm pretty sure your life isn't that complicated. I just want to know the truth."

"No." Jace said with a tone of finality. "I won't tell you about my past until I think it's time. And now is definitely not the time. Goodnight." Jace turned and marched into the bedroom without looking back. Clary huffed and stomped over to her bed. She was going to figure Jace out, even if it killed her.

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><p><strong>So pleaseeee review and I'll love you forever! Also, there's a link on my profile if you want to see what Clary's dress looks like. It might be a little too modern for this time period but whatever. I hoped you liked the chapter my darlings! <strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**Here's the next chapter dearies! Uhmm I don't really have anything else to say except for look at my note down at the bottom because I have a couple questions. Thanks! :)**

**Disclaimer: I am not Cassandra Clare so I obviously own nothing.**

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><p><strong>IPOV:<strong>

At first, Isabelle had been excited for the day off. She could do whatever she wanted. But now she just felt like punching someone. Since nobody was around-which was exactly why Isabelle was so angry-she settled with beating her pillow. Isabelle had surprised herself; she wasn't usually this violent. Izzy had left Maia because she has going to spend time with another servant she had met named Jordan. She thought that everyone else would be around for her to be with but she had run into Alec on her way back to the house.

"Alec! Hey!" Isabelle had called to get his attention before rushing over to him.

"Hey Izzy. What's going on?"

"We have the day off!" Izzy couldn't stop herself from jumping up and down. Things like this rarely ever happened.

"Great! I was going over to Magnus' anyway so don't expect me home until later." Izzy nodded and grinned. She was happy for Alec. She could tell that he really liked Magnus and vice versa. Then she dashed off to tell Clary and Jace.

Isabelle let out a frustrated sigh. As soon as the two heard the news, they went gallivanting off to who knew where, leaving Izzy completely alone. Even Max had gone to go play with his friends. She had helped Clary get ready, but that was mostly because she liked doing people's hair. Izzy looked down at her scarred and calloused hands and rubbed the rough skin of her palms together. These hands didn't belong on a young lady. Izzy was positive that Clary's hands were the complete opposite. With them being soft and smooth, it was no wonder Jace liked to hold them. No man would ever want to hold Izzy's hand.

But Isabelle had no right to judge Clary. Not only was Clary extremely kind and humble-which was surprising for royalty. Then again, the only other royalty Izzy knew was Valentine and Jonathon-but she was also very strong, considering everything that she had been through. Isabelle couldn't even begin to imagine the horror of having to watch the murder of your parents right before your eyes.

Izzy thought about her parents. They had both died in a freak accident when she was still a young girl. She couldn't remember much; a warm smile here, a joyful laugh there, however Alec had told her many stories about them. Their mother was a very regal, pristine woman. She was strict but kind. Robert had a gentle face with plenty of laugh lines. He was strong and Alec had thought that he was capable of anything. Max was only a baby when they had died, so he had no recollections of the two. Isabelle thought, almost grudgingly, that Max had it the best. If there was nothing to remember, there was nothing to miss.

Clary had also greatly impacted Jace. She might not see it, since she barely knew him, but for Isabelle the change was drastic. Izzy had never seen Jace look at someone with so much care. Usually he reserved those looks for her, Alec, and Max. Isabelle could also tell that Jace was actually happy. For years, she pitied him because she could feel his misery almost as if it was palpable and no matter how hard she tried, she could never do anything to help him.

Isabelle was still chewing over her thoughts when she heard a soft knock at the door. She stalked across the room and yanked the door open. Her irritation melted away when she saw Simon standing somewhat awkwardly outside the door. Izzy didn't know why, but something about this boy was incredibly intriguing.

"Hello Simon. Would you like to come in?" Izzy opened the door wider, but Simon remained where he was.

"Is James here?"

Isabelle furrowed her eyes in confusion. "Oh! You must mean Jace. No, he's not here right now."

Simon visibly relaxed and walked into the house. "Good. I don't mean to be harsh, but your brother's kind of a-"

"Ass?" Isabelle guessed. She knew that Jace must have done something by the way that Simon had left earlier.

Simon chuckled. "I was going to say jerk, but that works too."

Isabelle took a step closer to Simon. "Clary isn't here either, so if you want to go, you can, and I'll tell her you stopped by." What was Izzy saying? She didn't want Simon to leave, but she knew that the only reason he was here was to see Clary.

Simon nodded. "When you said that Jace was gone I assumed that Clary was with him. Actually, I was thinking that maybe we could talk."

Isabelle's grin lit up her entire face. "Sure! What do you want to talk about?"

"Anything." Simon cocked his head to the side. "You know, Jace doesn't look anything like you or Max."

Isabelle was about to point out the fact that he left out Alec when she realized that Simon hadn't met him yet. "Well Jace is my adopted brother. We took him in when he was ten."

Simon looked surprised. "That's very kind. Especially since he's not the most desirable person to be around."

Isabelle smiled but it vanished and she was serious again. "Jace has been through a lot. He deals with it in his own way. I doubt anybody knows what he's going through, except for maybe Clary."

Simon scooted closer to Isabelle-they had both ended up sitting on the couch-and put his hand on hers, grasping her fingers. Isabelle remembered what she was thinking about earlier and she smiled. "And what about you? What are you going through?" Simon asked softly.

Isabelle leaned forward. "Right now I'm going through a good time in my life." She whispered. Izzy saw a blush creep up Simon's cheeks. She took that as an invitation and brushed her lips against his. Simon was hesitant at first but then he cupped Isabelle's face in one hand and put the other on the small of her back, crushing her into him. Isabelle happily spent the rest of the day with Simon and later, when the others returned, she couldn't believe that they didn't notice her carefree mood.

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><p><strong>So I know the chapter was short and it was a filler chapter but there was Simabelle fluff! Yayy! Sorry for those of ya'll (I'm from Georgia, don't judge) who wanted some Clace. There will be a whole lot more of that. Trust me. I'm also gonna have some Malec. Yay Magnus and Alec! They're my favorite couple! I swear if Cassandra doesn't make Alec immortal or Magnus mortal by the end of the series I am going to be seriously pissed off! Anyways, enough with my rant and on to the questions. How do you like the story from Isabelle's point of view? Do ya'll (again, no judging!) want part of the story from a certain person's point of view? My next question doesn't have to do with this story at all. I'm writing a sequel to one of my other stories, Eve of the End, and I'm debating on what to call the story. Basically, the sequel is about Jace's struggle of trying to break Jonathon's control over him. It will most likely be from Clary's point of view but occasionally Jace's too. I've decided between 2 choices. The first is Do Not Obey because Jace doesn't want to serve Valentine and Jonathon but he's kinda being possessed. The second is Empty Inside because in CoFA, when Jace was possessed he was completely unemotional. Eve of the End is the name of a song by August Burns Red and both of the choices are song titles by All That Remains. They're both metalscreamo bands. I just wanted to continue the pattern of using song names. What do ya'll think? **


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